Good Food Purchasing - Food Policy

Food Policy


Purchasing DataResourcesThe City Food Policy Project


Good Food Purchasing

Each year, NYC agencies spends over $300M buying food and meals to serve to millions of New Yorkers – in schools, hospitals, detention facilities, older adult centers, shelters, and more. NYC’s Good Food Purchasing (GFP) initiative supports NYC agencies in aligning their food spending with six core values: local economies, environmental sustainability, nutrition, animal welfare, a valued workforce, and transparency.

This framework is inspired by the Center for Good Food Purchasing’s nationally-networked Good Food Purchasing Program, a comprehensive, metrics-driven tool supporting public institutions to create a transparent and equitable food system that prioritizes the health and well-being of people, animals, and the environment. As of 2024, over 70 institutions (which encompass thousands of individual cafeteria sites, food service operations, and venues) in 25 major U.S.cities are enrolled in the Good Food Purchasing Program, representing over $1.1 billion in annual institutional food purchases.

The purpose of NYC’s GFP initiative is to increase transparency around the food that NYC agencies buy, prepare, and serve; ensure NYC food spend supports individual, planetary and community health; and drive positive change across local, regional, and global food system with the purchasing power of NYC